Apple Slices Orders For Weakly Selling iPhone 5C
Apple’s new flagship handset, the iPhone 5S, may be experiencing the occasional Blue Screen of Death (BSOD), but the new and less expensive iPhone 5C may be experiencing some death of its own. According to the Wall Street Journal’s sources, Apple has told its two suppliers (Pegatron and Foxconn) that it is reducing orders for Q4 2013, which points to weaker-than-expected sales.
Orders for Pegatron were reportedly cut by about 20%, while those for Foxconn were around 30%.
It’s not terribly surprising that the iPhone 5C isn’t doing all that well. From the very first rumor, the handset was associated with terms such as “cheap” and “plastic”, and there was never any clear reason why Apple would bother to make a cheaper iPhone other than an attempt to compete with numerous lower-cost Android handsets.
As such, the execution was bound to be a bit ham-fisted, and indeed in the opinions of some, the iPhone 5C is an ugly duckling, a too-colorful, less elegant version of the mighty iPhone. The device is also rather expensive at $549 (16GB) and $649 (32GB) off contract.
At the same time, Apple still apparently knows how to make a phone that consumers buy in droves, because demand for the new iPhone 5S appears to actually be better than expected.
Orders for Pegatron were reportedly cut by about 20%, while those for Foxconn were around 30%.
It’s not terribly surprising that the iPhone 5C isn’t doing all that well. From the very first rumor, the handset was associated with terms such as “cheap” and “plastic”, and there was never any clear reason why Apple would bother to make a cheaper iPhone other than an attempt to compete with numerous lower-cost Android handsets.
As such, the execution was bound to be a bit ham-fisted, and indeed in the opinions of some, the iPhone 5C is an ugly duckling, a too-colorful, less elegant version of the mighty iPhone. The device is also rather expensive at $549 (16GB) and $649 (32GB) off contract.
At the same time, Apple still apparently knows how to make a phone that consumers buy in droves, because demand for the new iPhone 5S appears to actually be better than expected.
